NEIGHBOURS in Halebank have been urged to keep an eye out for each other in a bid to allay fears the brutal killer of Agnes Hanrahan may strike a second time.

Speaking at a public meeting in the village, Detective Chief Inspector John Chapman said residents should not become afraid of 'cold callers' and salespeople who were a feature of everyday life.

He said the fear of crime was often worse than the reality.

Residents at the meeting voiced concern that the killer of the 71-year-old may be living among them. Some pensioners said had even boosted their home security and fitted intercoms to stay in touch with neighbours following last December's murder.

But DCI Chapman assured them they could expect a swift police response in situations where they were afraid of people knocking on the door.

DCI Chapman said: 'It is amazing to know how many legitimate salesmen do actually call round in the in the evening.

'People are being sensible by making arrangements with their neighbours. Never answer the door to anybody if you are in doubt.

'If there are situations where somebody is persistently going away and coming back then don't hesitate to call police.

'Speak to your neighbours and fix something up so you can to actually ring your neighbour and say 'somebody's knocking at my door and I'm not happy'.'

'And there are some distinct advantages to neighbourhood watch - you look after each other.'

One Halebank resident said: 'The frightening part is a pensioner thinking somebody must know them and that they are living in the area.

'What everybody fears is that the person must be here in the community and nobody knows - but you could be talking to them.

'This is the fear the public has, not just pensioners but the majority of people in Halebank.'

DCI Chapman added: 'The message from me and from the division is that somebody hasn't just broken in.

'It is clear from this enquiry the people she knew may not have been known even by the rest of the pensioners in Baguley Avenue. We are not talking about somebody who knows all the pensioners. We are talking about someone who knew Agnes specifically.